The world of information technology is a dynamic and rapidly changing world. As this world of information technology evolves, new tools are constantly being developed to assist in its further development. Because of this constant evolution, a tool that was cutting edge just a short time ago may be virtually obsolete today.
This rapid obsolesce caused by new tools is especially true in the area of development tools. These development tools are tools that are used by a developer to create new forms of data. They include such tools as programming languages, database creation and management software, word processors, and spreadsheet programs. Each of these types of development tools allows a developer to use data in important and unique ways.
One major challenge in the industry occurs in the case that a development tool that had been used to develop a number of data sources becomes supplanted by a newer development tool. A developer that encounters such a situation may be forced to choose from a number of unpleasant options. If the developer refuses to make a change to the new software in order to maintain the current group of data sources, new efficiency and functionality resulting from the new development tool may be sacrificed. In contrast, if the user decides to employ the new development tool, the current data sources must be rewritten in the new format, converted from the old format to the new format, or discarded. Any of these options may result in large amounts of time and/or money simply to return the developer to a place in which the data sources may be used as previously.
Currently, there are a few tools for converting from a particular old format to a particular new format. However, these tools are limited in that they are dependant on both the old format and the new format for which they are written. For example, if a conversion tool is designed to convert Cobol code into Java™ code, and later there is a need for converting DB2 (DB2 is a trade-mark of IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both) database definitions into Java code, an entirely new conversion tool must be used. This is likewise true if a need arises for converting Cobol code into Extensible Markup Language (XML). In addition, the current tools are often stored and accessed separately so that users of the current tools may have difficulty finding the correct tool for a particular task.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a solution that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.